Chapter 662: Blood Oath
Chapter 662: Blood Oath
"Today is a practical lesson."
Felix stood at the podium and waved his hand. Suddenly, hundreds of wooden jars appeared in the air, floating mid-way. He waved again, and the classroom began to expand in all directions, widening to half the size of the Great Hall in the blink of an eye.
The students exchanged excited glances and whispered to each other.
Then, a large, ancient-looking book appeared in Felix's hand. He opened the first page, and a flood of colorful Ancient Runes poured out, each about half an inch in size. They resembled tiny flying creatures entangled with each other, forming a long scroll or a lavish carpet—except it was woven from Runes rather than thread.
Felix and the students silently observed the wall of Runes that surrounded them for a moment before he spoke:
"Some of these Runes are special and don't blend well with the others. Your task is to pick them out—this tests both your eyesight and your dexterity, as any misstep could damage the surrounding structure. One point for each successful extraction. You can use the chestnut jars to store the extra Runes. The final score will depend on the length of your assignment today. Begin."
"Oh, and one more thing: no wands. This will be the rule for all future practical lessons."
The students gradually stepped forward to choose their preferred jars, while Felix sat in a soft chair, reflecting on the academic conference that had just concluded.
The event was well-attended, with participants from all over the world. As planned, the evening reception on the first day served as a welcome and networking opportunity. This was necessary because many people knew each other only through academic publications and had never met in person.
Someone had to act as a host, and Felix's top choice was naturally Professor Slughorn. The old professor was in his element, his smile never faltering throughout the reception.
The Tonks family also attended.
They lingered in front of the large display for a long time. While they didn't fully understand the discussions or the significance of the Rune sequences Felix had magically solidified, each time they heard the experts' exclamations of amazement, their resolve wavered a little.
The main hall on the ground floor of the Castle of Swords was packed. They searched for their daughter, finally spotting her near a wide pillar. Lupin looked calm, but he was inwardly thrilled, remembering Felix's promise: with the invention of the Wolfsbane Potion, new theories would emerge, and the situation for werewolves would improve.
To some extent, this had indeed come true. In just two years, an improved formula for the Wolfsbane Potion had been developed, significantly reducing its cost. The Ministry of Magic had also passed legislation ensuring that registered werewolves could purchase the potion at a discount.
This led many werewolves to remain neutral during the war.
But nothing compared to the news he had heard earlier that evening, which filled him with even greater excitement. Lupin was aware of the two solutions Felix had proposed—Ancient Magic that could control werewolf transformations, and advanced human transfiguration that could change the entire internal structure. Both methods held hope for him, and the latter could even allow him to briefly become a true human, meaning he could have a perfectly healthy child.
Heaven only knew how elated he was when he learned this.
While werewolf traits weren't always inherited, the uncertainty was a torment for Lupin, who had been plagued by his werewolf identity for decades.
Another incident occurred during the reception.
Lucius Malfoy and his wife made a grand entrance, dressed in luxurious attire and promising a generous donation of fifty thousand Galleons for a noble cause. This attracted a crowd of people who were less politically sensitive and had settled abroad, who gathered around him to listen to his lofty speeches about his son Draco's "Healer aspirations."
The effect was… quite good.
"According to the newspaper", Hermione carefully examined a glowing section of the scroll in front of her, which looked like tightly interlocking bricks, as she said, "over two hundred people attended, all experts in potions, healing, and alchemy, along with officials from various Ministries of Magic."
She placed her right hand on the Rune wall and easily plucked out a glowing Ancient Rune.
"Quite a spectacle", Harry remarked admiringly.
"But it's strange that the host of the conference was Professor Slughorn", Hermione added.
"Not strange at all", Ron chimed in, seeing Harry successfully extract an Ancient Rune and eagerly reaching for the glowing wall. "We all know he excels at this. Think about who could deliver a heartfelt eulogy even when facing a giant, monstrous spider corpse? Oh, no."
He groaned, trying to stuff the Ancient Runes back into the jar, but it was too late. A dozen Runic Scripts before him glowed with a dangerous red light.
“Bang!”
Ron was engulfed in black smoke, coughing with his hand over his mouth. Harry and Hermione quickly dodged to the side, nearly pushing Neville against the wall. “Sorry, Neville!” Harry said apologetically to Neville, who was rubbing his chin with tears in his eyes. “It’s okay.”
Ernie, meanwhile, paid no attention to the minor incident, muttering to himself, “Justin got six points, I don’t want to lose to him.”
When the smoke cleared, Ron grumbled to Harry and Hermione, “You guys ran so fast, I almost spat out the Mandrake leaves. Hermione, you should have warned me.”
“You chose the right target, but your technique was off,” Hermione pointed out. She flicked her fingers and skillfully plucked a Runic Script from the wall, waving it at him. “Like this, use your magic to stabilize the connection points. We just need to pick out the characters that look out of place, so it’s easier.”
“I know,” Ron said listlessly. “I got distracted. We shouldn’t have talked about Slughorn. We should have focused more on—” He paused, gritting his teeth as he pulled out an Ancient Rune like a building block.
At the same time, Harry muttered a single word: “Blood Oath.”
Hermione gasped, her fingers trembling as a tangible character dissolved into pure magic, like smoke. “Be careful!” she called out nervously, quickly forming an Ancient Rune from her fingertips and pushing it back into place. The three of them watched the wall carefully for a moment until the red light stopped flickering, then they let out a sigh of relief.
“This game is pretty intense,” Ron said fairly, his mood improving.
Hermione glanced around, noticing that everyone’s attention was drawn to the commotion caused by Cormac Mclaggen. She lowered her voice and said, “I think it’s best not to say anything, especially about that person.” She looked incredulous, as if she were about to scream, but she managed to hold it back.
“It’s unbelievable, I mean, the Headmaster and—”
Harry remained silent, plucking glowing characters from the wall. These were the memories he had seen in the Pensieve last week. At this point, he couldn’t keep it to himself anymore. He was deeply involved and desperately needed to talk to someone. In the school, the people he trusted the most were Ron and Hermione.
In the previous class, Harry had seen a new, earth-shattering memory.
The young Albus was full of spirit, planning a graduation trip, but tragedy struck suddenly. His mother died due to a magical accident caused by Ariana, and he had to return home to take care of his younger siblings. Harry witnessed his pain and frustration, and for the first time, he criticized the impatient Albus. The people in the memory couldn’t argue back, but the owner of the memory could, and Dumbledore accepted everything.
This made Harry feel a bit regretful. Putting himself in Albus’s shoes, if he had to stay with the Dursleys as an adult, he would have gone mad too. But they were family, weren’t they? However, when he saw Albus forming a friendship with a young man, Harry genuinely felt happy for him.
Until he heard that name.
“Hello, my name is Gellert Grindelwald.”
Harry immediately remembered the letter he had read, in which his mother Lily mentioned Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s close friendship in a letter to Sirius. However, due to the limited space, Lily didn’t elaborate on the details or the time. So when Harry heard the name from the mouth of the young, blonde boy who looked not much older than himself, he was completely unprepared.
The following memory fragments were enough to make Harry realize how quickly their friendship had developed. He even read a few passionate letters from the side, which appeared before him in an uncomfortable and sudden way. Words like Muggle, rule, government, and army repeatedly stabbed at his heart.
But nothing compared to the scene in the barn.
Two people—two young, future famous individuals—Dumbledore and Grindelwald, stood face to face, using their wands to slice their palms. Then they pressed their hands together, and their blood mingled, illuminating their young, solemn faces with a dazzling light.
Harry felt dizzy. Finally, when the merged blood droplets were encased in a metal shell, he loudly questioned what it was. Dumbledore was speechless, and with a weak but strong voice, he told Harry it was a Blood Oath. He and Grindelwald had made a blood-bound vow.
The class ended in a hurry, and in the way Harry least wanted it to.
"Harry, Harry?" Ron called out. "We’re falling behind. I don’t want to add another two inches to today’s homework."
"I know", Harry grumbled, getting to work, but he had already made up his mind.
Before the class ended, the students lined up for inspection.
"Susan Bones, 52, well done—homework: one foot; Anthony Goldstein, 47, one foot two inches; Millicent Bulstrode, 29—uh, you need more practice, or you won’t keep up with the next phase—homework length: one and a half feet."
Felix commented casually as the line gradually shortened.
Harry intentionally waited at the back, holding the chestnut jar. He waited for Ron and Hermione to leave before stepping forward.
"Harry Potter, let me see—59, a very good score, well done—homework: seven inches."
Harry racked his brain and asked two questions, anxiously waiting for the other students to pack up and leave. Ron and Hermione knew what he was up to, waved at him, and left first. Felix looked at him thoughtfully.
"It seems your real question can’t be heard by others."
"Yes, Professor, I wanted to ask what a Blood Oath is."
Felix looked surprised.
He pondered for a few seconds—
"There are many types of contracts in the wizarding world, from verbal agreements with no binding power to magical contracts. The most solemn and serious type is treated with the utmost caution. Once signed, it cannot be broken because the consequences are too severe."
"Death?" Harry asked softly.
"…Yes, for example, the Unbreakable Vow. And then there’s the Blood Oath. However, the latter is more stringent and exists only in legends."
"Why? Don’t they have similar effects?" Harry asked, puzzled. "Apart from the number of people, the Unbreakable Vow requires a witness."
"I could list many differences, such as—like you said, the Unbreakable Vow requires three people." Felix said, and Harry blushed, feeling a bit slow, completely missing the "many differences" Felix mentioned.
"But the most important difference is the content of the vow. The Unbreakable Vow is more flexible. I can swear never to eat Chocolate Frogs for the rest of my life, or to always enter a room with my right foot… In short, no specific requirements. But the Blood Oath is different. It has its own magical core and doesn’t require the vow to be spoken, which has a serious impact. Can you see it, Harry?"
Harry tried to think hard. Not needing to make a vow… What does that mean? Not wasting words? No, it’s more than that… No words… means no restrictions…
"The Blood Oath can’t be deceived by lies?" he blurted out.
Felix smiled and nodded.
"The Unbreakable Vow is closer to the word ‘contract,’ so the content must be verbally confirmed. Words… can be manipulated, and there are always loopholes to exploit, as long as the final requirement is met. In other words, it controls your actions and has a certain delay."
"In extreme cases, someone determined to die can sign any false Unbreakable Vow."
"But the Blood Oath is different", Harry said excitedly. "It has fixed content, which makes it impossible to deceive with flattery. The two people must be absolutely sincere, even the thought of breaking it—"
"You’re right, the Blood Oath binds the heart. Any attempt to break it will immediately result in retribution."
"What is its content?" Harry asked eagerly.
Felix hesitated for a moment.
"To my knowledge, it is not to harm each other."
"Can it be destroyed? I mean, the object formed by the Blood Oath?" Harry continued to press.
Felix glanced at him. "Did I mention an object?"
"Oh, uh—"
"Perhaps it can be destroyed", Felix said straightforwardly, not pursuing the slip in Harry’s words. "I’ve never signed such a contract, so I don’t know the exact outcome."
In fact, every contract he had signed had a common feature: he could tear it up and twist it whenever he wanted. But for those he couldn’t break—whether an Unbreakable Vow or a Blood Oath—he had no interest in touching them. His knowledge was extremely limited.
Harry left, deep in thought.
Felix remained in place, watching him disappear, then suddenly looked up at the ceiling, his gaze seemingly penetrating the walls. He stared intently at the location of the Headmaster’s Office tower.
Perhaps Harry himself didn’t realize it, but the direction of his questions was quite clear.
"Blood Oath… Dumbledore and who? Equally matched—yes, only Grindelwald."
Bits of trivial information kept surfacing from his memory, and Felix began to piece together a complete story. The first thing that came to mind was the secret Newt had mentioned, something he couldn’t reveal more about, involving Dumbledore.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
